A person connecting to a web site with a personal computer (PC) will often be presented with a relatively large list of options for interacting with the web site using the PC. The number of interactive options may be so extensive that they may be organized hierarchically, which may help or hinder the person searching the list to identify a desired option to select, depending upon whether the categories clearly relate to a desired interactive option. Furthermore, although many interactive options are listed as available on the web site, the person may be able to participate in only a relatively limited number of those listed. For example, participation in each of the available of interactive options may require prior installation of a specific software program on the person's PC. It can thus be somewhat time consuming and frustrating for a person to find a specific one of the interactive options, since the user must pick an appropriate category, and possibly an appropriate subcategory and then select from among only those options that match the software programs installed on the person's PC.
An example illustrating this problem arises on game web sites that enable multiplayer interactive game play over the Internet or other network. When connecting to such a game web site, a prospective game player is presented with a web page in which a number of different categories of games and the games available to be played under each category are listed. Some of the categories may include so many games that the user must select a “more” option to see the additional games included under the category. Game software installed on the prospective player's PC may only enable the person to participate in a few of the multiplayer games that are listed, yet it may be necessary to scan through the list of games in a selected category to select a game to play, assuming that the person recalls the names of all such games installed on the person's PC. Finding a desired game in the extensive list of available games can frequently take several minutes. Also, if an older version of a game is installed on the person's PC, it may not be immediately evident that the person will be unable to play the newer version of the game available on the game web site, until the person selects the game from the list and attempts to participate in the game on the site.
Clearly, in regard to the game web site example discussed above, it would be desirable for a prospective player to connect to the game web site and be provided a relatively short list that includes only those multiplayer games that are installed on the person's PC and which are available for play on the game web site. The list should thus include only those games for which an acceptable version of the game software has been installed on the PC, avoiding the disappointment that may occur if the person selects a game and then is advised that additional software must be purchased and installed on the person's PC in order for the person to participate in multiplayer play of the selected game on the web site. The same approach should also be applicable to providing a personalized web page that includes other types of options presented to a person connecting to a web site, so that only those options for which the appropriate required software is installed on the person's PC will be presented in the personalized web page. It will clearly be much more efficient to enable a choice of only the options in which the person can actually participate.
Currently, Microsoft Corporation's MSN MESSENGER™ instant messaging program automatically determines the multiplayer games that are installed on a participant's PC and displays a list of the games when the person selects the Activity Menu, where each such installed game is listed in an entry as “Start (game name).” The user can select one of these listed options along with a contact who will be invited to play the game, assuming that the invited contact also has the game installed on the PC used by the contact when responding to the invitation. However, the listed installed game programs are simply added to the menu of MSN MESSENGER, and there is not interaction between the PC and any server hosting a game. Instead, the list of games is created by MSN MESSENGER without regard to anything other than the gaming software installed on the user's PC. Accordingly, the approach used in MSN MESSENGER would not be helpful in addressing the problem of selecting a game from among a hierarchical or long list of games on a game web site, as discussed above.